Young students can practice their knowledge about place value, including hundreds, tens and units, with an abacus. Children can work in groups to work out simple sums, such as "30 plus 12", and demonstrate their understanding by placing the beads in the correct position on the abacus. Online versions of the abacus can also reinforce the students' skills through computer-generated questions.
Have children make their own "working" abacus, either in groups or as a class exercise. Children can bring in objects from home for the project. Suggestions for the frame include popsicle sticks while pipe-cleaners could work for the rods. Pasta shapes or plastic beads could be used for the abacus beads. Ask the children to think of their own ideas on construction. For a problem-solving exercise provide each group with the same materials and set a time limit.
Researching the long history of the abacus on the Internet or with reference books is a suitable project for High School students. Each group could take on a particular historical era and make a presentation to the rest of the class. For instance, one group could focus on the development of the rod abacus by the Ming dynasty. Another group could explore the use of the abacus around the world today.
A fun activity is to get children to compare the abacus with a pen and pencil and with a calculator. Set some simple and some complicated sums. The children work in teams, trying to solve the problem the fastest. They record their answers and write down which method was the speediest. Have a class discussion about the results and get the students' feedback on what it was like to use the abacus.